Really?
by Amelia Friend
Summary: Actions have consequences. And one different action in the past can have unimaginable consequences for the present and future. Sam/Dylan.
1. Complicated

**Chapter One - Complicated**

**A re-write of my two favourite characters lives. Hope you enjoy.**

* * *

Dylan.

Clipping herself into the flimsy harness with a steadiness of hand that only came with years of practice; she peeked over the edge and shuddered delicately.

The drop was well over 100 metres down, from the top of the once white rickety bridge to the seemingly tiny boat 'parked' on the river below them.

Suddenly her many years of abseiling from various heights seemed to count for nothing.

And although she knew she would feel far better once she was actually doing the abseiling, she also knew that it was the wait she always hated.

However, usually whoever she was 'dropping' with at least _attempted_ to make the wait shorter for the both of them

It went without saying that this time her company didn't help her at all.

* * *

Watching him, Sam found it amusing that even though they _both_ knew he had never been abseiling before, he still _tried_ to pretend that he knew what he was doing – despite the two needed attendants checking his harness (the third of the original three had left almost bursting into tears, after one of Dylan's surprisingly _less_ snarky remarks).

* * *

Finally able to wrench her head away from his direction, she closed her eyes and muttered the same sentence to herself over and over again – attempting to distract herself from Dylan.

"It's for charity. It's for charity. It's for charity," and though he could not hear her words, Dylan heard the faint murmuring and glanced in her direction.

"Scared, Samantha?" He asked, not altogether unkindly, but with a definite smirk in his voice, referring to her face screwed up in concentration.

Her eyes snapped open at the statement, almost offended at the insinuation.

"Never!" She returned with a confident smile – but one that wasn't reciprocated on the inside.

* * *

And it was true in one sense – the abseiling itself gave her no sense of fear.

It was the fact that (for the first time ever) she was alone with Dylan, outside of work.

The worst part was that it _wasn't_ an altogether unpleasant feeling.

* * *

Just stood there, with her mind wandering amongst fantasy lands, it wasn't until she noticed the instructor was starting to give them the safety warning that she brought herself sharply back to reality.

Finally, they were both ready, positioned to take the single step back at the whistle.

* * *

Three seconds…

Sam readied herself.

* * *

Two seconds…

Glancing at each other, an unspoken competition to be the fastest emerged instantly.

* * *

One second…

Sam bent her legs slightly and perfected her grip.

* * *

And then the whistle blew.

* * *

At the beginning, Dylan headed the impromptu 'race', but only for the first few moments, and even then simply due to his larger body mass, but Sam's years of practice, and better technique – not to mention the fact that she _lived_ for the adrenaline rush the speed gave her – meant that slowly she inched ahead until she landed on the boat mere seconds ahead of him.

Refraining from laughing out loud at Dylan's slightly put-out expression, she merely unhooked herself from the mass of ropes and wires with an experienced hand, and walked off, leaving him entangled within his own ropes, and two brand new attendants coming to unhook him.

* * *

Sipping from a bottle of water, Sam watched Dylan out of the corner of her eye (something she found herself doing more and more often recently), smiling slightly as he argued with the café cashier over what exactly he wanted in his sandwich.

The poor boy was nearly in tears – an apparent habit of strangers near Dylan.

Noticing him finally finishing his rant at the unfortunate teenage boy, Sam forced herself to look away from him, as he passed by her and headed for the door.

Watching his steadily retreating back, she ducked her head, reminiscing on the past.

* * *

She remembered the first time they met, just over five months ago.

She remembered feeling so small beside the Great Dr Keogh.

She remembered he looked interesting.

Yet she also remembered that – whilst all the other medical students had shied away from the 'Great Grump' (her personal nickname for him, used only when she was alone – she didn't want the name to reach back to him, despite the nagging feeling in the back of her mind that he already knew about it), more than slightly scared of his … well, just scared of him.

She remembered that she knew there _must_ be more to him than the surface, the shield, he portrayed to the wider world.

She remembered she wanted to be the first one to see behind his shield.

* * *

What she doesn't remember is when she found everything just so complicated.

What she doesn't remember is when everything changed.

What she doesn't remember is when she stopped seeing him as just her mentor, or her friend.

What she doesn't remember is when she started to fall in love with him.

Now frowning once again, Sam shook her head violently to clear it of such thoughts, ignoring the strange looks from those sat near to her.

In the months that they had worked and studied, day by day, side by side they had become as close to friends as _anyone_ was going to get with the ever-grumpy Dr Dylan Keogh.

* * *

She didn't want to ruin that.

No matter what her feelings.

No matter how strong.

* * *

Finishing her drink, she placed the now empty bottle in the bin, and headed in the same direction as Dylan – the way she believed was the exit.

Five minutes and numerous turns later, Sam had to admit – even if only to herself – that she was well and truly lost.

Finally, just as she was at the point of deciding the pros and cons of simply shouting, and seeing if anyone could hear – someone strode around the corner of the previously deserted corridor.

And, of course, who would it be but Dylan.

* * *

He raised an eyebrow at her – stood nervous and alone in the middle of an empty corridor, but, for once, said nothing, instead waiting for her to explain herself to him.

"I was … lost," she blurted out after about twenty seconds of silence, but even as she spoke it sounded like a lame excuse – and she _knew_ it was true without exception as well.

Mumbling incoherently as she made to leave, her shoulder brushed faintly against his, and she turned slightly.

And he was just … there.

She couldn't help herself.

Making a spur of the moment decision, she leant in and kissed him.

* * *

It was only on the cheek, and she pulled away almost instantly – blushing a furious red, and stammering out her numerous apologies.

She wasn't sure what she expected him to do - walk off, or never mention it again were at the top of her list though.

What she didn't expect was him to lean in and kiss her in return, just as lightly at first but quickly more furious.

* * *

Separating only when eventually they both felt the need to breathe, they just stood in total silence, as the realisation of what had just happened swept over them, made the room seem that much smaller.

"That felt … nice," Sam whispered not wanting to break the silence that now fully permeated the room, a pale flush creeping unbidden across her neck and chest.

"Yeah…" Dylan agreed, his voice trailing off – not being known for his eloquence even at the best of times.

"But we should try again. You know, just to make sure." Sam continued – more confidence now than before.

A nod was his only reply – words no longer needed as they leant in for a third kiss.

Closing her eyes and melting into the kiss, Sam idly wondered how she ever found it just so complicated.

* * *

For another four months, not a single person suspected a thing.

At work, their dynamic did not change at all – and all still believed they were simply still just mentor and student.

No one noticed any secret glances, or hidden kisses, or concealed touches – simply because they didn't exist to begin with.

* * *

So it was really by chance that anyone discovered anything at all.

Well, if chance was eight years old and called Emily anyway.

* * *

**Thank you for reading, please review,  
Mia**


	2. Sitting In A Tree

**Sitting In A Tree**

**Hope you enjoy, even if Sam and Dylan romantic is getting a little bit out of fashion. I'll try to update soon.**

* * *

It was a late Friday night in early Autumn, and the brightly lit A&E department was once again overflowing with an assortment of minor injuries, almost all of which were caused by spending too long in the pubs, in one way or another.

Sighing slightly as she finally arrived in the staff room for a long overdue meal break, twenty six year old Kelly Sells nearly jumped out of her skin when a small voice spoke from the back corner of the room.

"Hi," she chirped brightly, (too brightly for Kelly –tired and overworked already despite having another six hours on her shift) then stared expectantly at the brunette woman.

Kelly just stared at her.

She was maybe eight or nine years old, with big dark blue eyes and long dirty blonde hair tied in two rapidly disintegrating plaits – wearing a navy blue school uniform that didn't seem to belong to any of the nearby primary schools that she knew of, and with her job, she knew a lot.

"Hi there," Kelly replied, whispering and hoping she wasn't going mad and hallucinating from stress, that really wouldn't be good for her career, "What's your name?"

"Em'ly," the small girl replied with a slight lisp, just swinging her legs slightly off the end of the giant red sofa in the corner of the room that was almost comically too big for her.

"Well, it's nice to meet you Emily." Kelly told her with a slightly forced smile, and turned to the ham and cheese sandwich she had hurriedly yet lovingly prepared late that morning and was greatly looking forward to eat, but now couldn't.

She screwed her eyes shut temporarily as she tried to force her curiosity down, but still she turned back to the small girl. "What are you doing in here Emily? Are you waiting for someone?"

Emily nodded enthusiastically, her eyes lighting up with excitement. "Uh huh. Sammy said I could wait here for a few minutes, until I can go home."

"Sammy?" Kelly was confused, was Sammy a patient, or a …

"Sammy Nicholls. She's my big sister." Her small voice interrupted Kelly's silent thoughts, and sudden realisation hit the young doctor.

_That_ Sammy.

Kelly grinned mischievously, if internally, already thinking of a thousand and one ways to playfully embarrass her younger colleague at work with the childish nick name, that both did and didn't suit the wannabe army medic that had probably worked hard to get away from it.

"Why did Sammy say you could stay here anyway? She doesn't finish working for another couple of hours, and you can't stay here unsupervised for that long." Kelly asked, unobtrusively trying to pry as much gossip as she possibly could from the unaware little girl.

Emily raised her eyebrows, in the epitome of the '_Duh!_' expression. "Dylan's taking me home. I'm staying with them this weekend while mum and dad and Jenny go on some bike ride thing in Scotland. I wanted to go, but I'm not old enough yet – I will be next year – but this year I get to stay on the _boat_." She uttered the last word with such glee, it almost made the older woman laugh out loud.

But then Kelly frowned – Dylan…Boat…That sounded an awful lot like … "Dylan _Keogh_?" The elder woman questioned, now long having forgotten her much-wanted sandwich, enthralled in the tale (and the gossip – the likes of which hadn't been seen around the department in _months_) that the young girl was happily telling her.

Emily screwed her face slightly and quickly in sudden confusion, "Who else? Why?"

"No reason," Kelly replied too quickly, her voice jumping a register or two as she tried in vain to conceal her own glee.

And in vain it was, for her silence lasted all of about twenty seconds before she burst out with yet another question, to fuel her own curiosity. "Are you saying that your sister, _Samantha Nicholls_, and _Dylan Keogh_, are together?"

"What do you mean?" The small girl asked, her legs swinging again, as she began to grow bored of waiting, and talking.

"Are they dating?" Kelly re-asked, simplifying it slightly for her, her anticipation fused into every word.

In response Emily only laughed, as if the idea was absurd. "They're not _dating_. They've been _married_ for a month. I wore a purple dress." She said the last sentence almost proudly even as she let out another laugh, as if the older woman was extremely slow.

Kelly's eyes widened at the Holy Grail of gossip – a marriage, and in secret as well.

She opened her mouth, maybe for more details, possibly to tell Emily not to tell anyone else, so it would be her gossip to tell people, (until she told even just one person anyway – then the entire department would know in a matter of hours), when a head with long red hair popped around the door.

"Kelly! We pay you to work, not to chat. Your break finished five minutes ago." The head disappeared, as Kelly muttered a selection of choice words under her breath at the offending woman, not noticing Emily's slight giggles as she guessed the words Kelly was sort of trying to hide.

She packed up the sandwich she had been so looking forward to, and then never got to even take a bite from, and placed it back inside her locker, in case there was a miracle, and she got a break on a Friday night.

Waving her goodbyes to the eight year old little girl, who had already distracted herself with a fairly thick book from her backpack, Kelly straightened her uniform, and headed back out into the real world – the one filled with drunks and idiots and everything between the two.

She did have one incident to keep her going through the rest of her twelve hour shift though, for when she exited the all but deserted staff room, she (literally) ran into none other than Samantha Nicholls, or should she say _Keogh_, the blonde woman obviously checking up on her little sister, but accidently dropping the small mountain of files she had been carrying.

As they both leant down to pick them up, Kelly muttered the first line a little ditty she hadn't sung since she'd left primary school, "Sam and Dylan, sitting in a tree," before walking off, humming the rest of the tune.

* * *

Needless to say, Emily never came back to the A&E department again.

* * *

**Thank you for reading, and please review, (I'd like to see if I can get four reviews for this chapter)  
Mia**


	3. Glimpses

**Glimpses**

**This is the next approximately four years of the Keogh's life, compressed into just over 1,000 words. Hope you enjoy.**

* * *

Sam looked down at the small piece of white plastic in her trembling hand.  
It couldn't…  
She wasn't…  
How could it…

She was only twenty two.  
She was still a student.  
She had only been married two months.

"Dylan!" She half-whispered, half-spoke, the word still drifting through the bathroom wall to the adjoining living room anyway.  
"Samantha?" Dylan questioned, worried for his wife that had been behaving even more strangely than usual the last two or three days.  
The blonde woman stood up shakily, and offered him the white stick. "I'm pregnant."

* * *

Eight months had passed since then, not to mention the seven gruelling hours of labour, but it was worth it.  
"She's beautiful," Sam's voice was awe-filled as she held her ten minute old daughter in her arms.  
"Just like her mother." Dylan replied, his voice filled with rare emotion, as he stared at his family.  
"What's her name?" The kindly nurse asked as she ensured that everything was satisfactory for them and the baby.  
"Eleanor. Eleanor Stephanie Keogh." Sam replied, her eyes never leaving her now sleeping daughter.

* * *

Sam turned around at the last minute, and saw the two of them there, just waiting – her Grumpy, and their two and a half year old daughter.  
It was in that moment that she wanted to be anywhere but here, anywhere but walking away from them.  
But she just closed her eyes and walked on, until they were just tiny objects in the corner of her eye.  
She didn't cry until she was alone, over twenty four hours later.  
She'd see them in eight months time.  
She could survive until then.

* * *

"Hi, Mi' Kinsey," Ellie called to the receptionist as her father carried her into the building.  
"Hi Ellie," the young woman named Paula replied cheerfully, "Are you helping your father today?"  
"Yeah," she exclaimed happily. "I help daddy e'vy day." She replied, the same way she had every morning her father had worked since her mother had left for Afghanistan.  
Paula just smiled as she watched the strange man, and his over excitable daughter interact happily, alone in their own world.

* * *

"I come wi' you daddy." The small girl sobbed, it was her first day getting looked after by someone other than her mother or father, and she wasn't pleased in the slightest.  
"You can't." His answer was short, unemotional to anyone to anyone looking in from the outside, but Dylan knew he was only seconds away from quitting his new job and taking his daughter home.  
This was precisely why he _didn't_ want to work here.  
"I'll be back later Ellie," he muttered quietly, leaving his crying daughter in the arms of the nursery staff.  
"Daddy!" The small girl yelled. "DADDY!" She tried again louder.  
Dylan couldn't let himself turn around, but walked out of the NHS nursery two streets away from the hospital.  
He'd be back in few hours.  
He could manage until then.

* * *

It had been a long eight months, with far too little time at home, but at last she was back.  
Her eyes scanned the thick crowd looking for them … Where were they…?  
There they were – Dylan and Ellie, the first she laid eyes on, but Emily and Jenny and her parents stood just behind.  
Her pace quickened until at last she was _there_, she was with her family.

"Mummy!" The small girl cried with glee, reaching out from her father as soon as Sam got within three metres, the elder woman taking her quickly, and accidently holding her too tight in her joy to see her again that she began to squirm to get free.  
Loosening her grip, the three year old settled down quickly, cuddling into her absent mother, not letting her leave ever again.  
Leaning around Ellie, Sam kissed Dylan gently, wary that her parents and little sisters were just metres away.  
She let go, mindful that there would be time enough for that later, and began chatting animatedly with her family, but one eye never left the husband and daughter that she had missed _so_ much.  
She was glad she had managed.  
Really, she was just glad to be home.

* * *

"Dylan, this is Samantha Nicholls, our new doctor." Nick introduced, gesturing at the young woman.  
His eyes widened as he thought how he could have missed that she'd gotten a job _here_. His mind filled with questions but he waited until they had walked out of earshot before he hissed almost silently at his wife. "What are you doing here?"  
Sam just looked innocently back. "I told you I'd got a job," she replied with a smile in her words.

* * *

Looking up from the makeshift triage in the middle of the hospital car park, Sam breathed a silent sigh of relief as both Dylan and Zoe, along with their patient, a man named Frank, escape from the rapidly burning hospital just seconds before they would have been trapped within by the fire.  
She catches his eye for just as moment as paramedics start to check him over, before she returns her attention to the injured man before her.

* * *

"Mummy!" The three (and three quarters – not that you should forget within her earshot) year old little girl called as she ran into the boat and her mother's waiting arms.  
"What is it Ellie Bear?" Sam asked, picking her up and balancing her on her hip, even as Dervla wrapped herself around her legs, feeling a bit put out.  
"Guess what Abbie got?" Her voice was excited as she waved her free hand about in the air.  
Sam, thinking back about Abbie's mother over the past few months, had a very good idea what Abbie had gotten over the weekend, but played along with her daughter anyway, "I don't know. What did Abbie get?"  
"Abbie got _baby_! Me and Daddy seen her." She started to babble, her words running together slightly, but still understandable to her parents.  
"Really? That's brilliant." Sam replied, with enthusiasm, the way she always did, even while she dropped the little blonde girl onto the sofa.  
"Mum_my_!" the small girl whined, even as she righted herself, as Sam froze – she recognised that tone – it meant she wanted something.  
And she wanted it _now_.  
"Yes sweetie." Sam replied, hoping it wasn't what she thought it might be.  
"I want baby." Ellie ordered her voice firm. Sam could hear Dylan coughing suddenly from the kitchen as something went down the wrong way, and she just refrained from rolling her eyes at both of them, it was exactly what she thought would happen.  
"Maybe when you're older." Sam tried to reason.  
"But I help," Ellie countered her eyes wide and pleading.  
"We'll see." Sam told her daughter in the way all children know means 'no'. "Now go to the table."  
"Yes mummy." The small girl replied meekly, stopping bouncing on the cushions and heading for the small kitchen. She turned back to her mother. "I have baby now?" She asked hopefully.  
Sam smiled as she shook her head slightly at her young daughter's antics.

* * *

"Samantha? Are you okay?" Dylan asked worriedly.  
Sam turned to face him, a weak smile on her face. "Maybe Ellie will be getting her wish sooner than she thinks."

* * *

**Thank you for reading, and please review, I'm going to try and go for a whole five this time,**

**Mia**


	4. News from Jenny

**Sorry that it's been so long since I updated, and thank you for all the reviews. Hope you enjoy this (shorter) chapter.**

* * *

"And in other news, a fire in the North East of England has killed four and injured twelve. More on that story in just a few min..." Sam switched it off, not liking her almost four year old little girl to see such things.

"Come here Ellie Bear," Sam smiled as she spoke; helping her young daughter into her jacket, ready to go to the nursery.

Finally the small girl was ready, "Dylan!" Sam yelled threw the house boat. "We have to go."

"I'm just com..." Dylan called back, the end of his sentence cut off with an almighty crash.

Sam just looked at Ellie, and raised an eyebrow – the small girl attempting the copy the action. "I'm not cleaning that up." She remarked dryly.

* * *

It was an almost relaxing day at work.

For the first half anyway.

* * *

"Sam, can I talk to you for a moment." Zoe's face and voice was drawn, and emotionless, a strange sight.

Confused and with a slight furrow in her forehead, Sam followed the slightly older woman to the small office that used to be Nick's and saw a young brunette woman with heaving shoulders sat on one of the chairs.

The woman turned around, and all the blood drained from Sam's face.

* * *

"Jenny? Jenny? Please. Jenny?" Sam was almost begging as the eighteen year old stared blankly into space.

"I was at Elise's," she whispered, her eyes not moving from the blank spot on the wall she had been staring at for goodness knows how long. "I should have been at the shop, but I wanted a day off. I should have been there." Her voice trailed off as she resumed her silence.

"Jenny... Please tell me what's going on." She reached out to touch her younger sister's shoulder, but the younger girl flinched, terrified, at the touch.

She turned to her big sister.

"It started at the pizza shop, but it spread in minutes. I could see it all the way from Elise's house. It was so ... yellow. There's no other way to describe it."

Now that she was talking, Sam didn't want to interrupt her, obviously this was important, but she was also in shock, and had to work through the events – whatever they were – at her own speed.

"I ran as fast as I could, I promise. I saw dad carry Emily out, he put her on the ground, but I didn't see mum, and he didn't see me. And he ran back inside again, and neither of them appeared - they're never coming back."

A single tear rolled down Jenny's face as she finally turned to face her sister.

It was Sam's turn to stare blankly, she understood what Jen was saying, but wished she didn't, and just held out her arms, the only slightly smaller girl leaning into her as the tears fell more rapidly down her face.

* * *

"What's going to happen to Lemon?" Jen asked after her tears had slowed, using the nickname they both knew Emily hated, but kept using affectionately anyway.

Sam looked at her incredulously, "She'll come and live with me and Dylan. We were looking for a bigger boat anyway. That is, if she wants to."

Jenny nodded, and then spoke herself. "Elise said I could live in her guest room until the end of year thirteen, so I don't have to change schools this late."

Sam smiled, and didn't stop stroking her little sister's hair.

* * *

"I have to go back to the hospital." Jenny spoke quickly as she pulled her thin jacket on, "I promised Emily I wouldn't be too long, and it's a five hour drive each way – not to mention the thirty minutes we just spent in there." She jerked her head towards Zoe's office as she spoke. "Are you coming?"

Sam looked up and caught Zoe's eye, who nodded.

"Of course I am," she told Jenny, as she pulled her own jacket on, glancing around.

She wished she could have told Dylan where she was going.

* * *

As the brunette woman led Sam outside, Noel almost spoke up but stopped when he looked at Zoe.

Somehow, he didn't think he wanted to know.

* * *

"Dylan," she spoke quickly as Jenny drove. "I have to go up North for a day or so. Something's happened to Emily and our parents. Look after Ellie, and don't let her cause too much trouble. I'll be back as soon as I can."

Sam closed the phone and leaned her head back – and for the first time since she found out the news, she started to cry.

* * *

Almost five hours and two hundred and fifty miles later, the pair stood outside the large sterile building.

Nothing was going to get done if they just hung around here all day.

Sam moved first.

* * *

Sam watched from a slight distance as Jenny woke Emily up – she was only here for observation, and the fact that now their parents were ... were...

It still hurt to see her baby sister in the hospital bed.

* * *

Sam closed her eyes as she tightened her grip on the thirteen year old blonde little girl.

She still smelt of smoke.

* * *

**Thank you for reading, and please review, I'm going to try and get another five for this chapter - it only takes a minute of your time,**

**Mia**


	5. Crash

**Sorry for the long wait, but with school and everything, I really haven't had time to update.**

**Hope you enjoy this new chapter.**

* * *

The traffic light remained red, as Sam turned around in her seat for the third time in less than five miles, for Ellie refused to leave Emily alone from the new doll she received for her fourth birthday the day before.

"Ellie, Emily, behave - I won't tell you again."

"But mummy..." Ellie started at the same time as Emily said.

"But Sammy..." It was, however, only the elder that continued. "She won't leave me alone with that _stupid_ Kuddle me Katie doll."

"She's four," Sam placated the teenaged girl.

"Yeah, but..." the blonde girl glared at her neice. "If she tries to get me to play bloody 'Baby' _one_ more time..." she threatened.

Dylan, for once, wisely kept his mouth shut, as the traffic light turned to green.

Pulling out into the unusually empty cross road, he didn't notice, until it was too late, the small blue car come thundering through the red light, and plow into the side of their more sturdily built car.

There was a crash.

A crumple.

A thud.

And darkness claimed them.

* * *

Emily was the first to regain her wits - pulling her phone out of her pocket, and ignoring the sharp sting of pain that ran up her arm as she moved it.

Learning, and thus moving slower, she carefully dialled 999, trying to prevent tears from falling.

She spoke quickly into the phone, answering the question as best that she could considering that she had only lived in the area a few weeks. She glanced around at her family - Dylan was slumped over in his seat - head against the steering wheel, unconscious at least. Sammy was also unconscious (hopefully) her head resting almost peacefully where her side window should have been. Ellie seemed fine and was (fortunately) awake - if silent for probably the first time since she had learnt to talk.

Emily stayed as still as she could and concentrated on her breathing - because she could hear the sirens in the distance - and she was no use to anybody if she was having a panic attack because she was here, and she had to trust her eyes, and there was no fire.

So the smoke wasn't real.

* * *

Jeff and Dixie were amongst the first to arrive, Tom with them, since it was such a big crash - three cars directly involved, at least ten more with passengers now claiming minor injuries.

Tom made his way to the centre of the crash, towards the broken passenger side window of the larger car that had a woman's head leaning out of it.

He almost dropped his bag in shock, when he realised exactly who it was. Sam.

Tugging on the door slightly, he relaised that it had been jammed shut during the crash - this was going to be harder than they had first anticipated, if they could not release the casualties.

Checking in on the two back seat passengers, he noted a young teenage girl who appeared to be trying very hard not to succumb to a panic attack, and a child no older than five, who was just looking at him, in a silent curious manner.

He went around the other side of the car, to check on the male driver, when he realised that it was none other than Dylan.

He didn't fancy trying to answer _those_ questions when this was all done with.

* * *

Sam's eyes flicked open, "Tom?" she questioned - confused as to why the doctor was leaning in through her broken car window.

He seemed relieved that she had woken up, "Sam, you've been in an accident. You need to remain still."

Her eyes suddenly clouded over with fear as the implications of the statement hit her, as she completely disregarded Tom's words to attempt to turn around, forcing him to tighten his grip, keeping her neck secure. "Come on Sam," he told her, "You of all people should know not to do that."

"Ellie? Emily?" She questioned, already beginning to fall back into unconsciousness.

"They're fine." He told her. "Seats belts did their jobs." Sam smiled, and her eyes began to drift shut again.

"Sam," he told her forcefully, "You need to stay awake."

Sam opened her eyes again, with great effort. "Dylan...Okay?" She managed to ask.

Tom glanced over to the drivers seat that couldn't see from her fixed position.

"Still KO'd," he answered truthfully, knowing not to lie to her. "What's the story between you two then?" He asked, determined for anything to keep her awake.

She smiled almost dryly. "Married," she admitted, knowing that they wouldn't be able to keep it hidden for much longer.

Tom's surprise was slightly less well hidden, "Been long?" he asked incredulously.

"Nearly five years," she gasped, suddenly unable to breathe, her eyes rolling into the back of her head as she began to fit, still trapped within the car.

"Dixie!" Tom called behind him, "we need to get her out of here. Now!"

* * *

Jeff pushed the trolley with Sam's still limp body on it briskly, as Emily followed behind, carrying a still silent Ellie.

"This is Samantha Nicholls," he started, "Twenty six years old. Involved in a three car pile up, KO'd but briefly regained consciousness at the scene. GCS of 12, dropped to 10 en route." He spoke quickly ignoring the shocked looks of their collegues, who had obviously not been informed.

* * *

"This is thirteen year old Emily Nicholls and four year old Ellie Keogh, they were in the back seat of the car. Ellie is fine, but Emily needs some stitches in her left arm." The two girls followed the nurse who introduced himself as Fletch through to cubicles.

"Wan' mummy." The smaller girl almost cried, Emily tightening her grip, scared at being in an unfamiliar place without either her mummy or daddy, although Emily was a fairly decent substitute.

* * *

Barely metres away from them, in the corner of resus where a team of doctors were furiously working over Sam, the long beeping sound that they all dreaded appeared, as she flat-lined in front of them.

* * *

**Thank you for reading, and please review (I'm going to try and get seven this chapter),  
Mia**


End file.
